BASF plans to set up an application lab for polytetrahydrofuran (PolyTHF) at the Shanghai Pudong site of BASF Poly-urethane Specialties (China). The company intends the lab to further improve technical customer services in the region, especially in the PolyTHF growth areas of highly elastic spandex fibers and thermoplastic polyurethane and polyetherester elastomers (TPU, TPEE). This is the only laboratory of this type in Asia and it will start operating by the end of this year. The lab will have access to modern polymer analytics and will be equipped with a variety of testing facilities, allowing it to respond to individual customer needs. Facilities for the lab-scale synthesis of small-volume samples will also be set up. Such samples can be used to refine the desired set of characteristics of spandex polymers or TPU/TPEE plastics. BASF will develop customised new PolyTHF-based formulations and improve existing ones in this lab. The lab will also adjust certain mechanical and thermal properties of PolyTHFbased derivatives to the needs of specific applications. The analysis of samples and specimens as well as laboratory support for starting up customer plants round off the service offer.
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